Your tenant wants to sublet. Here's what the law actually asks of you.

Almost everywhere the answer is yes, and it typically needs to be more than a nod. Wherever consent is required, get it in writing before you make any arrangement with a subtenant, since a landlord who did not agree in a form that holds up can usually treat the arrangement as if it never happened.

When a tenant sublets, they keep the lease and let the space on to a subtenant, who has no contract with the landlord. When a lease is assigned, the new occupant takes over the lease itself and answers to the landlord directly. The two are usually separate questions, each needing its own consent.

Yes, in most places. The subtenant pays the tenant, and the tenant still owes the landlord the full rent and answers for any damage, whatever they agreed with the subtenant.

At least which part of the home is sublet, who the subtenant is, the start and end dates, that the tenant stays responsible for the rent and any damage, and the landlord’s signature and the date. An email that says all five is a record too. Some leases and some local laws ask for a particular form, so check both.

Typically, the sublet is treated as if it were never authorised, and the tenant who arranged it stays on the hook for the whole rent to their own landlord regardless. In several places it counts as a breach serious enough to end the lease itself, so it is worth asking rather than assuming.

Usually yes, where the lease or the law makes subletting depend on the landlord’s consent. Some places limit that: a few give tenants a qualified right to sublet that a landlord cannot unreasonably refuse. Check the panel above for where the building stands.

Generally yes. A short-let listing puts someone else in the property in exchange for money, which is exactly what subletting means, even for a few nights at a time. Unauthorised short lets are a common and often litigated ground for eviction, particularly in cities that regulate short-term rentals closely.